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Wadinasi Association for Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) is a home grown organization dedicated at economic empowerment of the disadvantaged, vulnerable and marginalized people in Zimbabwe.
Lovemore Mawowa and Bettina Patzuda founded Wadinasi Association for Poverty Alleviation between January and March 2009. In March 2009 open invitations were sent to Leon Muwoni, Showers Mawowa, Fortunate Mawowa, Stella Mawowa and Andrew Mutsiwa to the WAPA Trustees and WAPA Board of Directors.
Mrs Stella Mawowa was appointed the Office of Representative of WAPA, whilst Mr Fortunate Mawowa to the Office of WAPA Administrator. The two were empowered to run the day to day business of WAPA with close supervision from the WAPA Chairman.
The governance of WAPA comprise trustees with multi professional skills and more than 20 years of experience dealing with large sums of donor money and socio-economic projects that includes vast experience in agriculture (various plantations, crops, animal husbandry, apiculture, farm management etc) and working with vulnerable groups.
The organization’s main office is managed by officers skilled and experienced in administration, partnerships, NGO management, bookkeeping; supported by specialized volunteers in agriculture, special needs and networking.
WAPA was registered in July 2009. The organization received a letter of authorization on the 18th January 2011 to carry out socio-economic projects in Kwekwe District from the Midlands Provincial Administrator; and signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Zibagwe Rural District Council on the 5th of March 2010.
The organization is committed to the following work in the District:
a. Agriculture Resource Centre to provide farming education and training which will include (but not limited to) the following aspects: planning skills, farm management skills, farm machinery skills, crop management skills, marketing skills, basic book-keeping skills, financial management skills, farm produce value added education, soil conservation, market gardening, horticulture and animal husbandry. The centre will engage farmers in investment ininitiatives: irrigation schemes, horticulyure, beef and dary farming, poultry, agro-processing and other small and medium scale enterprises. The centre will will support support farmers with inputs and access to farming financial input schemes and markets.
b. Deliver general health and hygiene awareness services to curb diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, cholera and cancer; and medical aid supplies.
c. Economic empowerment, life skills, economic skills and social skills for women, youths and small business development.
d. Education Scholarship programme to financially support disadvantaged children.
e. Socio-economic assistance for the disabled, old aged, orphans, vulnerable children and other marginalized groups.
f. Set up environment, natural resource heritage, housing, clean water and sanitation programmes.
g. Emergency and disaster relir aid.
On the 21st October 2010, WAPA held an All Stakeholders meeting that helped to heighten awareness of disability matters and agricultural development. The event was meant to introduce WAPA and to forge strategic partnerships with players from various sectors. The meeting was graced by the Kwekwe District Administrator, hosted by Zibagwe Rural District Council and attended by the President’s office, Ministry of Social Services, Ministry of Health, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Lands, Ministry of Mechanization, Ministry of Home Affairs (Victim Friendly Unit), Ministry of Women Affairs Gender and Community Development, Ministry of Youth and Economic Empowerment, Ministry of Public Works, Veterinary Services, AGRITEX, National Aids Council, Environmental Management Agency, NGOs, Media.
The following were some of the recommendations from the All Stakeholders Meeting:
1. Community education (awareness raising, guardians and people with disabilities) e.g. through workshops
2. Policies for people living with disabilities
3. Specific legislation on education of children with disabilities (it should also be in Braille).
4. Public facilities should be user-friendly e.g. public toilets, schools, churches, transport, banks, robots with siren.
5. Government to carry accessibility audits of their facilities.
6. Albinos need spectacles, chemotherapy, sunscreens and hats.
7. Funding from NGOs
8. SDCs and SDAs to infuse into their schools constitutions building codes that relate specifically to structures that are user-friendly to children living with disabilities.
9. Training of sign language interpreters who can then be deployed to various departments e.g. courts, registrar’s office, hospitals, clinics, schools etc.
10. Information on national television should be presented in sign language, Braille especially on topical issues such as politics, H.I.V/AIDS, Malaria and Cholera.
11. The government and other agencies should mobilize for assistive devices for children living with disabilities.
12. Children living with disabilities to attend schools in their communities (hence school facilities should be disability user friendly).
13. Children living with disabilities have complex and multifaceted needs, hence the need for a multidisciplinary approach involving different professions and agencies to meet their needs.
14. Educate the parents on the need for their children to have birth certificates regardless of a disability or not.
15. Funding for mobile registration.
16. Partnershp between parents and organizations.
17. Enfocement of the legislation, if it exists.
18. The government to put certain procedures in place to ensure that those without traceable references can obtain birth certificates.
19. Counseling.
20. Social support from the relatives and the community.
21. Rehabilitation
22. Establishing halfway homes in the community.
23. A multidisciplinary approach and an integrated approach to avoid duplication of efforts.
24. Bottom up or grassroots approach (community participation) e.g. steering/implementation committees
25. Entertainment centers
26. Preschools
27. Organic farming because artificial fertilizer is not good for the environment
28. Farmers need more education, support with inputs, equipment and machinery.
Wadinasi Association for Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) is cooperating with the local government, government ministries and other partners in the implementation of its activities taking serious consideration of its objectives, MOU, recommendations from stakeholders, beneficiary needs and government development programmes.
Surname Mawowa
Forename Lovemore
Date of Birth 09-01-1957
Registration Certificate 58-040900 J 42
Offices Address 2972 ZMDC Chegutu
Contact +263 913 804 525
Nationality Zimbabwean
District Makoni (Manicaland)
Email lovemoremawowa[at]yahoo.com
My story...
The Background
I was born in a poor and disable family (both parents deaf and dump) in a small marginalized village called Mbariro in Makoni district Manicaland Province in Zimbabwe. Every single day was characterized by struggles for food, for dignity, for survival and for opening possibilities of a better future. I travelled 20 km per day to attend primary education. During the first two years of my lower secondary education I worked half the time for a generous missionary to raise funds for my school fees. Eventually I had to take up employment as a mine worker for four years during which I worked twelve hours a day seven days a week. Every night I used three hours for self studies to complete my Ordinary Level distance education with GCE of London Institute. My vision was to first change my life then use the capacity and experiences to enable many communities to change their lives and living conditions, not forgetting the disabled.
First encounter with the Dream Come True
In 1985 I was offered opportunity to train in basic engineering and power units. The training was run by Development Aid from People to People (DAPP) in Zimbabwe an NGO which is a member of the International Federation of Organisation Associated with Humana People to People. DAPP later offered me employment. From 1987 to 2001 I worked with the marginalized communities in Zimbabwe to formulate projects, plan, mobilize funds, implement, evaluate and report to the government and donors for DAPP.
WAPA idea conceived...
Reaching out Africa and the World through Development Instructor Training
In November 2001 I was offered intra-company transfer to Durban South Africa where I helped establish a Development Instructor Collage, Kwa Zulu Natal Experimental Collage (KNEC). The enrolment policy was 1/3 from South Africa, 1/3 from African countries and 1/3 from Asia, Europe and USA. Upon completing their studies the Development instructors go to do development work in Sub Saharan Africa. Follow up assessment has shown that these former trainees have changed the lives of many communities over the years. I stayed at KNEC as the principal and later as National Director of Human People to People in South Africa until September 2007. During my term of office Humana People to People in South Africa expanded into 5 provinces covering 2, 600 000 communities on daily basis.
Among the students there was a lady from Germany called Bettina Patzuda who got very interested in the presentations about Land Reform in Zimbabwe, poverty and land degradation within the globe and its consequences to the future generation. She agreed with me that something more drastic and African grown must be done to help the people to help themselves. It was there and then that the idea of WAPA was conceived. An idea that would see; German nationals and Zimbabwean nationals form a Zimbabwe Trust linked to a German Subsidiary in an effort to address global problems. Through much consultation an international NGO with its origins in Zimbabwe Africa was registered in the year 2009 known as the Wadinasi Association for Poverty Alleviation (WAPA).
Getting ready to start Wadinasi Association for Poverty Alleviation (WAPA)
A member and co-founder Bettina Patzuda having completed her Development Practice Training went to study at a University in Germany from 2005 to 2009 for an Agriculture degree in preparation for WAPA work. In May 2009 I asked for a transfer from South Africa back to the Federation Headquarters in Zimbabwe in order to officially found and register WAPA Zimbabwe. Having consulted and established a board of seven members (including the two founders) WAPA was officially registered on 08 July 2009 as a trust (registration number 501/2009). I still work for the international Humana People to People in the Leadership Office for research and development responsible for expansion activities in Africa and Latin America. The journey is just beginning. My dream is to see WAPA team up with likeminded individuals and groups to create enabling conditions to ensure a better life for mankind by mankind.
Why fund WAPA?
Appreciation
My appreciation goes to the Founding member secretary and executive board member Ms Bettina Patzuda for making the dream come true, to Mrs Stella Mawowa an executive board member and vice representative for her strategic input, provision of office facilities at her residence and guidance, to Mr Andrew Mutsiwa lawyer and executive board member for policy formulation and facilitation for the registration of the Trust, to Mr Fortunate Mawowa treasurer and executive board member for playing the central role to work and co-ordinate the entire process, to Mr Leon Muwoni the secretary and executive board member for the guidance to comply with the requirements of the Ministry of Social Welfare of Zimbabwe and the International Standards and to Mr Showers Mawowa the vice Chairman and executive board member for his input in drafting and formulating all the documents, plans and activities. A lot of thanks go to Mr Matthias Patzuda for creating and maintaining the WAPA website. Many thanks go to Patzuda family for generously giving the first donation ever to WAPA Trust. In 2007 they bought me a ticket to Germany to learn the German history and cultural values. My heart was broken when I visited the former concentration camps. The experiences brought Zimbabwe and Germany closer as people. The family bought Bettina a ticket to Zimbabwe in November 2009. All in all flight tickets and a start up donation from Patzuda amount to 4886 euro. It is my sincere confidence that WAPA Zimbabwe and WAPA Germany will eventually bring meaningful development to Zimbabwe through a people to people corporation and global partnership
Fund raising for WAPA Activities
WAPA Germany a sister and subsidiary Trust to WAPA Zimbabwe will fundraise in cash and kind in Europe and the rest of the world for the activities. The funds will be transferred to a main account of WAPA Zimbabwe in Zimbabwe.
WAPA Zimbabwe will invite donors and partners within Zimbabwe and outside Zimbabwe. WAPA Zimbabwe board of directors shall recommend other fundraising methods that the board see fit and appropriate.
Thank you
Lovemore Mawowa
(WAPA National Chairman)
a few words about Bettina
here we write somethig about ourselves
who we are and
why WAPA